The ongoing search for the snowmobilers should get a boost with the use of a new underwater remotely operated vehicle, the Maine Warden Service announced Monday.

The vehicle, which the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife received last November, will employ sonar and other technology to search for the bodies of Kenneth Henderson, 40, of China; Glenn Henderson, 43, of Sabattus; and John Spencer, 41 of Litchfield, who have been missing since their snowmobiles entered open water late on the evening of Dec. 20.

Wardens say they are confident they found all three snowmobiles in 70 feet of water on Jan. 3, and are hopeful the recent stretch of unseasonably warm weather creates more open water and aids in the search for the snowmobilers’ remains. Wardens did not say when the vehicle will be put in the water.

Divers will not be employed to search until credible, identifiable targets are located in the water, according to the Maine Warden Service.